Finnish goalkeeper Sofia Manner left her American team to join Toronto’s first professional women’s club…
By Kevin Hurren
With athletes like Megan Rapinoe, Marta, and Sam Kerr, it’s tempting to assume that the world of women’s soccer is an easy place to be openly queer. Yet as every player knows, the journey to living authentically both on and off the pitch comes with its challenges. That’s certainly been the case for goalkeeper Sofia Manner.
At 27 years old, Manner has a lot of qualities a team looks for in a goalkeeper. Called a “commanding presence,” she’s over six feet tall, has a good physical build and boasts more game experience than goalkeepers coming straight out of the collegiate system. It’s no wonder that the Association Football Club (AFC) Toronto – the city’s first professional women’s club – made Manner an offer to join their inaugural team at the start of 2025.
“We were scouting various goalkeepers from different teams across North America, Europe, around the globe – and then we came across Sofia’s profile and there was a lot of interest,” says Rasih Pala, AFC Toronto’s goalkeeping coach. At the time, Manner was playing for another team: Florida’s Orlando Prides.
Despite the team’s name, living in Florida as a queer person like Manner came with its own burdens.
“I’m more masculine than a lot of girls, so I got into a lot of uncomfortable situations,” she says. “There were situations using public bathrooms, being misgendered a lot of the time.”
Manner, who was born in Finland, first started playing soccer in Florida in 2021 when she attended a Boca Raton grad school – a time when the state was just coming off US President Trump’s first term and two years into Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s term. Both men spurred fears about trans and non-gender-conforming people using bathrooms and change facilities, culminating in 2023 Florida legislation making it a misdemeanor to use a bath or changeroom different than your gender assigned at birth.
Manner’s experiences are an example of how laws targeting trans people negatively impact all members of the community, and anyone who doesn’t fit into a narrow, heteronormative ideal.
“I was thinking, ‘Should I stay to work?’ But then I was like, okay, that’s not an option for me, not here at least,” says Manner.
Having been to Canada only twice in her life before she was recruited by Toronto, Manner didn’t exactly know what living in this country would be like – but she had already spent a lifetime making space for herself. That began at the very inception of her soccer career, when Manner was only five years old living in Helsinki, Finland.
The youngest of three children, Manner idolized her older siblings and wanted to participate in the things they were interested in. “I always fangirled my brother as he was playing soccer, so of course I wanted to play as well,” she says. “I did try gymnastics with my sister as well, but I just didn’t have the same kind of passion.”
Playing with her brother meant playing with boys years older than her, but Manner relished the game – especially as they’d often leave it to her to guard the net. “I felt it’s more exciting to save goals than score them, especially at that time.”
As Manner’s goalkeeper skills were developing, so too were her queer feelings. At around 16, she had her first crush on a girl. “I remember thinking, ‘I think about her more than any of my other friends.’”
Like many young people, saying the words out loud was one of the most intimidating parts about coming out, says Manner. “I wrote it to my phone and turned it to her because I could not say it out loud.”
Though that early crush never grew into anything more, Manner did come out to her family and got her first girlfriend in the following years. After high school and on the recommendation of a friend, Manner enrolled at New York’s Stony Brook University. There she joined their collegiate team, going on to win America East Rookie of the Year in her freshman year.
Despite the accolades and superior game performance, Manner wasn’t yet living 100 per cent as herself in New York.
“I was in a completely new country, new language, new team, new people around me,” she says. “After practice, I would be the first one coming in so I could go first in the showers and leave before anyone else got there.”
What eventually helped Manner feel more at home on the team was the fact that each year following her freshman run, another queer player joined the team.
“Today it’s like half of the team is queer, but when I was first, it was a little different.”
Being the first or only of anything is tough, even as high-profile soccer players come out publicly in the media. It’s especially strenuous when you have a partner reinforcing shame or fear – something Manner would learn the hard way when she moved to Florida to attend graduate school and continue playing soccer.
The girl Manner started dating at the time wouldn’t feel comfortable being in public together, or even admitting that they were dating. “Once, her best friends from home came to visit and she talked about me as a boyfriend and I was like – yikes.”
Now that Manner lives and plays in Canada, she can be her fullest self – with a new girlfriend and new teammates. “Teamwise, that’s the biggest difference: I have more close friendships here.”
“When you’re around people who are really accepting, it makes the environment nicer to be in,” says Kaela Hansen, a defender at AFC Toronto and teammate of Manner. The two have become friends since Manner joined the team.
“She’s definitely the light of the team,” says Hansen. “Like, if people are having a bad day or are down, she is always the person to try to cheer you up and make you laugh. She can make your day feel better for sure.”
While Canada is far from perfect – including when it comes to queer people in sports – there’s a different vibe here when it comes to diversity, says Manner. An example of that is the Pride game AFC Toronto hosted this past June, celebrating inclusion and featuring a drag artist halftime show. “You’re able to be just who you want to be and, honestly, I feel very welcome.”
When Manner feels empowered and at ease, it’s good for the whole team, says Pala, the goalkeeping coach.
“She’s the oldest goalkeeper and played the most games this year, so when she talks to the younger goalkeepers and gives them positive encouragement and advice, that’s always going to be beneficial.”
As Manner continues to carve out a name for herself as an out and proud player, she’s making soccer – and all sports – easier to join for all. It’s part of why she was featured in an anthology book of inspiring queer Finnish athletes, and why other members of the AFC Toronto team also feel able to be open about their sexualities.
Be it at the net or off the pitch, it’s all about being there for your teammates, says Manner.
“The chance to save the team in difficult moments, I think that’s incredible.”
KEVIN HURREN is a Toronto-based writer and TV producer. After having ghostwritten for the nation’s most senior government and business leaders, he now helps TV shows tell compelling stories.
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